Ireland’s Most Haunted Sites…… Loftus Hall, Co. Wexford

Loftus Hall was originally built in the 14th Century by the Redmond family and was called Redmond Hall. The mansion house on the site today was built in the late 19th Century.

The house is now open to the public for haunted themed tours and murder mystery dinners.

It is easy to imagine this house as being haunted as it stands imposing and alone on the Hook Peninsula in CountyWexford.

The ghost story dates back to the 18th Century to a night when the Devil himself paid a visit to the hall!

In the 1780’s, the Loftus family were away on business for a time and they invited the Tottenham Family to stay and take care of the mansion during their absence. The Tottenham’s had a daughter, Anne, she was young and bored, in a remote location with few visitors during a long, stormy Winter with no entertainment. One particularly stormy evening, a young stranger came to the gate. He told the Tottenhams that his boat had been landed nearby as he had to take shelter from the worsening storm. This was a plausible story as the Hook Lighthouse was nearby and was a guiding light for any seafarers coming from England or France.

The young man was invited in and made feel at home after his ordeal. The family played cards in the evening as was the main form of entertainment and Anne partnered up with the young stranger and became quite close to him. As the weather didn’t lift, he stayed on at the house for a few days, one evening, while he was dealing cards, everyone had their five cards except Anne who had only received four. She was about to object when she noticed a dropped card on the floor, she bent over to retrieve it and she noticed that the young man had a cloven foot!

She let out a terrified scream and story has it that the man went up through the roof leaving a whole in the ceiling which was never able to be repaired properly.

Soon after, Anne became mentally ill and she was kept in a room overlooking Hook Head awaiting the return of her mysterious stranger. She died there a number of years later. Her ghost is still seen around the house.

Today, the house is left in ruins but it is possible to visit and see the mansion, it’s fairly ruined as parts are open to the elements but if you are careful, you can get around, just watch your step !